In the Shadows
by DragonQuillZ
Summary: A forgotten mystery suddenly resurfaces in this tale as our heroes, now older and hopefully wiser, once again find themselves on a journey towards the unknown as danger creeps ever closer to world domination. Together with old and new friends, can they make it in time or will it be too late?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Somewhere in the Johto Region**

There wasn't much noise coming from the vast passages in the Ruins of Alph. Besides the constant soft clicking of cameras, shuffling footsteps and the occasional hum of wonder from one of the numerous research assistants, Professor Spencer Hale felt at ease as he went about gazing speculatively at a section of wall they had uncovered today. He was absolutely mystified by the ancient culture depicted in front of him and he briefly wondered what new discovery the team might reveal about them today. He needn't wonder too much though as his eyes suddenly trained themselves upon a very modern looking figure among the ancient glyphs. His eyes widened in shock as he dusted of a few fragments of rock to get a clearer view. His sudden audible gasp drew the attention of his right hand man Schuyler.

"What is it Professor?" he asked curiously, pausing momentarily in his photography. "Schuyler could you hand me my Xtransceiver?" Professor Hale asked urgently. Schuyler dutifully passed him the device and waited until the Professor moved out of the way before resuming his picture taking.

**Meanwhile in the peaceful town of Pallet **

"Samuel," a woman sighed indignantly, "How many times must I remind you not to drink tea in your lab?" Professor Samuel Oak looked up guiltily from behind the brim of his cup. Delia Ketchum folded her arms across her chest and arched an eyebrow. "Need I remind you what happened last time you decided to use one of the research papers as a coaster?" Professor Oak laughed sheepishly as he tried not to remember the event Delia was referring to. "No need for that," he began, "I'm all done now." And with that he tried to subtly gulp down the remaining half of his hot tea while rolling slowly out of Delia's eyeshot. Delia shook her head at his antics. "How does Tracey deal with you?" She wondered aloud. Professor Oak grinned at his supposed triumph and placed the cup onto an empty bench before wheeling back to his computer. "You can ask him when he gets back."

Delia strolled further into the lab and was about to ask something else when his computer screen began to flash. Professor Oak turned on his speakers and murmured, "I wonder who this could be." He quickly clicked answer and his eyes widened in surprise as the face of his friend and former student flashed onscreen. "Why Spencer!" he exclaimed. "This certainly is a surprise, what can I do for you?" Spencer's visage smiled back at him and responded, "Hello Professor, I hope I'm not disturbing you." Delia suddenly appeared at Professor Oak's side and smiled brightly at the screen. "Hi Spencer! How are you? Oh it's been a while since I've seen you all. How are Annie and Molly?" Spencer laughed and took her questions in his stride. "Oh I'm very well. It's good to see you Delia. Haha, they're both great." Delia smiled widened. "That's wonderful. You must let me know when you're all in the neighbourhood soon." Spencer nodded at his old classmate then continued, "Certainly, though that's not why I called." Professor Oak coughed and Delia smiled sheepishly at him, realising the topic may have gone off just a little bit. "Right, sorry."

Spencer turned his attention back to Professor Oak, a serious expression gracing his face. "Professor," he began, "As you know I'm currently researching the ancient civilizations as depicted in the Ruins of Alph." Professor Oak nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Yes well, today I stumbled across something very strange on one of the walls." He turned the device around to show them exactly what he meant. "As you can see, something definitely doesn't belong here. Have you ever seen something this before?" Professor Oak leaned forward as the camera began to focus on the tablet. He strained his eyes for a moment when suddenly he gasped. "Oh my!" He exclaimed, leaning back and blinking rapidly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "What is it Professor?" asked Delia curiously. Spencer's face reappeared on screen as he repeated her question. "I'm absolutely certain," began Professor Oak, still quite shocked, "That glyph is of the G.S Ball. I definitely recognise it. After all, I did get the opportunity to personally examine it. But those ruins are from ancient civilizations. What on Earth is it doing there?" Spencer was about to reply to that remark when suddenly, a great crash was heard from somewhere behind him. "What the-" he was cut off by a shrill call. "Murkrow use Haze!" Professor Oak and Delia watched in alarm as the screen was suddenly obscured by thick purple smoke and various people coughing violently. "Spencer! Are you alright? What's going on?" Their questions went unanswered as another voice called out, "Okay Sandslash! Use Slash on that wall!" There was a lot of commotion heard on the other side before the voice was heard again, "Alright, let's get out of here!" There was another crash before a weak voice could be heard saying, "Go Pidgeotto, use Gust." The two in the lab watched as the smoke was cleared and various people heaved themselves off of the floor as they caught their breath.

"What was that? Is everyone alright?" Professor Oak exclaimed and the younger man. Spencer righted the device and they saw him gasp. "They've taken the tablet! They just removed that vital piece from the wall!" He looked around in distress. "Did anyone see who they were?" Most of the despondent researchers shook their heads before one of them nodded his. "I think they were Rocket grunts. They're the ones with the big R on their uniform yes?" Spencer frowned. "What could team Rocket want with a piece of ancient history?" He hung his head. "Oh who cares what they want! We'll never be able to analyse the entire set now! "

"Actually Professor," came Schuyler's voice having composed himself. "We've got them all on camera. I've been photographing each set as we've progressed down this hall." Spencer let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness for that. All hope isn't lost after all." He turned to the rest of the team. "Alright, lets evacuate now. After all that commotion this passage may no longer be stable enough to work in." He turned back to the camera seriously. "I may need more of your help with this Professor. If Team Rocket wanted these ruins they must be up to something sinister. Maybe if we can decipher it first, we may be able to figure out their plan." Professor Oak nodded in agreement. "Of course. There's no telling what those fiends must be up to. You send me those pictures as soon as you can and I'll call you as soon as we have something." Spencer nodded his affirmative before bidding his former teacher and classmate farewell.

""We"?" asked Delia, eyebrow again arched at the Professor. He nodded, "Well if Team Rocket is up to something I'm going to need both of my top students to help figure out those ruins. And you were always much faster than Spencer at tracking down information." Delia laughed softly and went to the extensive bookshelf to gather some texts as Professor Oak's computer flashed to show he had received the email. This really took her back.

**Three hours later**

Professor Oak and Delia sat down before his screen once more as the Professor called up their colleague in this mission. Almost immediately Spencer appeared onscreen though this time from within his own lab. "Have you deciphered it all?" He asked urgently. "More or less," Oak replied. "Some pictures didn't come through at quite as high resolution as we hoped but we've managed to figure out most of it." Spencer nodded. "Excellent! Yes we've pretty much cracked it as well." "Alright then let's compare notes."

Delia cleared her throat as Spencer shuffled his pages in order to compare their stories. She began. "These ruins tell the tale of a great mystery that captured the people of the time. The first few tablets told of how the people and the Pokémon lived in harmony with one another for many years and some Pokémon interacted with them often. One of them in particular was very special in that it was the only one of its kind that they had seen and that this Pokémon had the incredible ability to travel through time." Spencer nodded in agreement. "Yes that's what we have so far, please continue."

"This mystical Pokémon enthralled the people as it seemed to keep the land at peace. One day however, when the Pokémon came back through time, it brought with it a savage monster and two very unfamiliar strangers. The monster began to wreak havoc on the land until the Pokémon managed to calm it into a deep slumber at the bottom of the sea. The people praised the Pokémon for allowing peace to rein the land once more. But while there was peace among the people and the land once again, the two men from the future began to fight. Their fighting escalated one day to the point where the Pokémon tried to intervene but then, as the one man tried to stop him; the other hurled a strange object at the Pokémon and managed to capture it inside. The man stood triumphant while the other collapsed in grief. But the man was not pleased for long because as he soon found out, he could not release the Pokémon from the object. Thus the two men were doomed to spend the rest of their days in a time where they didn't belong and the one lived out his life as part of the local tribe while the other, consumed by his obsession, withered away trying to unlock the Pokémon from the mysterious G.S Ball. "

Spencer looked up from his sheets. "Is that right?" Delia nodded. "Though now the question remains, what does Team Rocket plan on doing with this story?" Professor Oak looked contemplative for a moment before saying, "I suppose the obvious direction would be they're planning on finding this mythical beast and using it for whatever heinous scheme they have planned."

"But what about the G.S Ball? They would be after that too so they could release that Pokémon and use it to control the monster. Do you know where it is?" Spencer asked. Professor Oak scratched his chin thoughtfully. "If memory serves, I sent the ball to Kurt in Azalea Town."

"Excellent," said Spencer, "Then we can contact him and ask him to transfer it to us for safe keeping." Professor Oak shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. As Professor Ivy and I learnt, the G.S Ball cannot be transported through the regular Poke Ball transfer system. It has to be moved physically."

"Hmm… I see," said Spencer. "I would gladly send a team to retrieve it but I don't think it's wise to do that. If Team Rocket were able to ambush our excavation, who's to say they won't hijack our retrieval team?"

"Is it not better to keep this information as quiet as possible?" asked Delia worriedly. "If Team Rocket comes to know that Kurt has the G.S Ball, wouldn't he be in serious danger?" Spencer nodded from the other line. "I think we all agree we need to get that ball you where it would be safest without Team Rocket being able to intercept it."

Professor Oak scratched his chin thoughtfully. Delia could see he was formulating a plan and so reassured her old friend. "It's going to be alright Spencer. He looks like he has a plan. We'll keep you updated so take care now. Oh! And give my regards to Annie!" Spencer gave a smile of relief before saying farewell to the pair once again.

Delia didn't say anything else. She had faith that Professor Oak knew what to do and so began to clear up the mess their research had made. Professor Oak meanwhile was contemplating what the plan of action was. He knew he himself couldn't just up and leave the lab right now so who could he send on this retrieval task. He gazed out at the window as a flock of Pidgey flew past and sighed as he knew what must be done.

'_But I can't help this feeling that this journey isn't going to be as simple as it seems…_'

To be continued…

**AN: What do you think? Does it sound a bit too Farfetch'd? This is an idea that's been in the pipelines for a while. There's a lot already worked out but some input would be greatly appreciated...hint-hint…**

**~DQ**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Midmorning – Cerulean City Gym**

Shrill screams pierced the air in the Cerulean Gym this morning as all the electricity suddenly shut off.

"What's the big idea?!" screamed Daisy stumbling out of her room with strands of her wet hair dripping onto the passage carpet. "Like, I'm in the middle of drying my hair here!"

Lily poked her head through the kitchen door to respond to her distressed sister. "Everything in the kitchen's off too!" Violet walked out of her room and shrugged.

"It's only us. Everything outside looks like it still works." Lily frowned. "You mean there's something broken here?" The three beautiful sisters exchanged looks before letting out a unified scream, "TRACEY!"

Young Pokémon Professor Tracey Sketchit looked up from his sketchpad and sighed. Three screams could only mean trouble for him.

"Should I go see what happened or run now?" he asked Azumarill who was swimming near his feet. "Azumarill Azu-zu!" The aqua-rabbit Pokémon just laughed at her trainer and carried on swimming joyfully. Tracey stretched before strolling out to see what the problem was. It was when he reached the Gym foyer and heard silence instead of the usual soft music, that the girls had installed to add to their theatrical atmosphere, that he realised something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" he called up the stairs. The trio stomped downstairs, Daisy furiously rubbing her hair with a towel.

"Like, what do you think?" replied Violet, "The powers gone!"

Tracey frowned and rubbed his neck. "Is it only us?" he asked looking around.

"Yah," said Lily. "Everything just shut off a few minutes ago."

Daisy, fed up with all the chatter pulled open a draw and hurled a set of keys at him. "Do something Tracey! I need my hairdryer!"

"I'm not an electrician you know," he said, "I might not be able to sort this out."

Daisy frowned at him before pointing at the door leading to the Gym basement. "What's the point of having a man around the house if he can't fix stuff? Now go."

"Thanks sweetie!" said Lily as Violet nudged him towards the door. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Figure what out?" said a fifth voice and they turned to see the youngest resident enter the Gym. "What's going on?" asked Misty, putting down her shopping bags.

"The power's gone," said Lily, picking up the discarded shopping, "We're sending Tracey downstairs to fix it." Tracey gave his friend a look that plainly said "Help me!"

Misty stepped forward and took the keys from him. "How can you send him down there himself? When was the last time any of you went? He wouldn't know where to find anything!"

"But Misty it's so dark and creepy!" moaned Daisy. "And we didn't want to wait for you; I need to fix my hair!"

Misty rolled her eyes and grabbed Tracey's arm, pulling him with her towards the basement door. "Come on Tracey; let's see if we can fix this." Misty unlocked the door and grabbed a torch from the shelf next to the staircase before proceeding.

"Geez, how often do you guys come down here?" asked Tracey, looking around at the piles of boxes illuminated by Misty's torchlight.

"Not often," she replied still moving the beam around. "I know there's a fuse box around here somewhere."

The duo ventured further into the dark basement before Tracey suddenly stopped. "Wait, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"It sounds like…something sparking," he said and strained his ears to locate the source. He took the torch from Misty and shone it further left. "It's coming from over there."

The two tentatively stepped forward in the direction Tracey pointed and saw a light flickering from behind a few boxes. Misty leaned forward and gasped in surprise. There, next to a hole in the floor, was a Pikachu happily gnawing on some cables. "Cha~" it cried happily as its cheeks sizzled with extra power.

"Wow! How did she get in here?" whispered Tracey as they watched the mouse Pokémon feast. "Looks like she dug her way through," replied Misty. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well I don't know about you, but I don't have a net or anything," he whispered back, careful not to alert the Pokémon to their presence.

"We can't leave her though," frowned Misty, "Who knows when she'll be done and this can't be a regular thing."

"Hmm…Well do you have a Pokeball on you?"

Misty gave him a weird look. "You want me to catch a Pikachu?"

Tracey shrugged, "What else can you do? Plus look at her, she's so busy she won't even notice."

Misty pulled a loose Poke ball from her belt. "Never thought I would actually be catching a Pikachu with this," she mused as she crept towards the oblivious Pokémon. Misty expanded the Pokeball and knelt down before skilfully rolling the ball towards the Pikachu. The ball gently tapped the Pokémon before engulfing her in a red light. Misty and Tracey watched with bated breath as the Pokeball shook before suddenly coming to a stop. Misty stepped forward and picked up her new capture. "Alright then, let's get out of here," she said and they hastily made for the stairs. "We'll figure out what to do with you outside" she added to the Pokeball.

Lily and Violet were waiting for them in the foyer. Light music could be heard coming from the speakers on the ceiling. "Awesome!" smiled Lily. "You guys fixed the power!"

"What was the problem?" asked Violet curiously as she saw the Pokeball in Misty's hand.

"Well," began Misty, not sure how to explain. Shrugging, she decided to just show them. "It was this," she said releasing the Pokémon. Daisy, done with drying her hair, flounced downstairs just in time to see the red light materialise on the floor.

"Pi?" said the confused Pikachu looking up at Misty with big brown eyes.

"Aw hi cutie!" exclaimed Daisy as the Pikachu tilted her head. "Where did it come from?"

"This Pikachu was chewing on the mains downstairs. Seems like she dug her way through."

"What's up with its tail?" asked Violet, pointing at the v-shaped indentation on the end.

"Ah yes, that's a sign that she's a girl," explained Tracey. "Pikachu!" she nodded.

Misty bent down and held out her hand for the Pokémon to examine. "What are we going to do with her? I don't think I can just release her outside. Besides the fact that she can easily find her way back in, it just doesn't feel right," she said as she rubbed the Pikachu's electric sac on her cheek. "Cha~" she happily cried, clearly enjoying the little massage.

"Wow Misty," said Tracey, "How did you know she likes that?" Misty smiled and thought back to a time when she saw a young trainer demonstrate the very same technique in a broken elevator.

"Oh just something I saw once."

"But Misty," started Violet, crossing her arms, "This is a Water-type Gym. Wouldn't having a Pikachu here sort of be dangerous to the other Pokémon?"

Misty frowned as she realised her sister was right. While Pikachu was adorable, Misty didn't see how keeping her at the Gym would be good for her or the other Pokémon. "Pika?" she asked at Misty's thoughtful expression. Misty shook her head and smiled at the electric mouse as Daisy and Violet went back upstairs. "Don't you worry, I'm sure we'll figure out what to do."

"Pikachu!" she said happily and hopped onto Misty's shoulder. It was then that the vid-phone at the front desk began to ring. Lily immediately went to answer. "Hi! This is Lily of the Cerulean City Gym, how may I help you?" A familiar elderly (in Lily's opinion) face popped up. "Hello Lily, how are you? May I please speak with Misty if she's in, oh and Tracey too?"

"Hi Professor, I'm great thanks. Yeah sure they're both right here." Lily passed the receiver to Misty as she and Tracey appeared next to her. "Hi Professor Oak, how are you?" she asked. Professor Oak's eyes widened on screen and he leaned forward.

"Why Misty! Where did you get that Pikachu?" he exclaimed in surprise as Pikachu hopped onto the counter and waved at him. Misty let out a laugh, "The basement actually. We found her chewing on some wires not too long ago so I caught her." Professor Oak nodded with interest before suddenly shaking his head and resuming a serious expression.

"Right well, I'm afraid I need to discuss something with the two of you."

"Oh? What is it Professor?" asked Tracey with worry. Professor Oak shook his head before replying, "While I'd much rather discuss this in person, I have a favour to ask of the both if you. I need your help to retrieve something very important from a friend of mine. Do you think you would be able to help?"

"Yes," agreed Tracey immediately, "Speaking for myself of course, I have no problem helping out." Misty looked thoughtful for a moment. "I would love to help Professor but I may need a few days to sort things out here before leaving."

Professor Oak nodded at them, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you both. Take all the time you need Misty. We can discuss the details when you get here." Misty looked at Pikachu who was looking around at the tanks in wonder.

"Hmm… Professor Oak?" she asked tentatively. "Yes?"

"I don't think this Gym is the best place for any electric Pokémon to be. I was wondering if maybe she could stay with you..." she trailed of.

"Of course," the Professor replied. "I would be happy to have her."

Misty smiled brightly quickly saying, "Thank you Professor! We'll see you soon!"

"Take care Professor. We'll be there in a few days." Tracey added before Professor Oak bid them farewell and ended the call. Misty looked down at Pikachu and stroked her head. "I think you'll like living at Professor Oaks' place Pikachu. There're lots of fruit and berry trees and open pastures and ponds and loads of Pokémon around. I don't think you'd be very happy in this Gym where most of the Pokémon are swimming in tanks… Unless of course you like to swim?"

"Pika Pikachu pi?" (Are you kidding me?)

Misty laughed and picked her up. "Sorry, but let's introduce you to everyone anyway." Tracey followed them into the main area and called out to his Azumarill. "Hey Misty," he began while starting to groom his Pokémon, "What are you going to do about the Gym while we're gone?"

Misty looked contemplative as she set Pikachu down to greet some of the Pokémon that wondered over. "I suppose I'll have to send an e-mail to the league letting them know I won't be accepting challenges for a while." She sat down and watched as Pikachu tried to have a conversation with Psyduck. "Where do you suppose we're going anyway?" she asked him. "And what do you make of your little vacation being cut short?"

Tracey let out a snort of laughter. "Yeah some vacation… Analysing species variation within a stable environment is definitely my idea of relaxing." He ducked as Misty's sandal flew at his head and laughed. "And who knows?" he added to answer her first question. "Professor Oak is being very secretive so I guess we're going to just have to wait and see."

Meanwhile Pikachu was getting very frustrated at the unresponsiveness of Psyduck. How was she supposed to get acquainted if he wouldn't answer a single question? Her cheeks began to spark as she her anger increased. "Pika! Pikachu?!" Again Psyduck simply tilted his head. "Duck?"

That was it. "PikaCHUUUUU!" she cried letting loose a surge of energy towards Psyduck. Just as Misty jumped down to push Psyduck out of the way, she let out a sigh of relief as Quagsire got there first and successfully nullified the bolt. Misty scooped up Pikachu and calmed her down.

"I guess you got mad at Psyduck huh?"

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Look Pikachu, Psyduck has been with me for a long time. I know he can be extremely frustrating to be around at times but he has a good heart no matter how slow he seems."

"Pika?" (Really?)

"Yes and you need to learn to control yourself as well. This entire area is full of water. If Quagsire hadn't jumped in a lot of Pokémon would have been seriously injured." Pikachu's ears fell back as she realised this.

"You can't just shock everyone that you don't immediately get along with," continued Misty. "That won't end well for anyone. Now are you ready to apologise?"

"Chu," she nodded and Misty set her down and watched as Pikachu apologised to the Psyduck, Quagsire, Marill, and everyone else she almost zapped.

"Yeah having you around a lot of water is definitely dangerous." Misty mused as the Pokémon all seemed out of danger again.

"You handled that well," Tracey remarked from his spot by the water's edge, "For a Water Master." He grinned as she threw him a nasty look.

"Just because I'm a Water Pokémon trainer doesn't mean I can't interact with other types."

"I know I'm just teasing," Tracey laughed and watched as Azumarill went to play with her offspring. "Are you sure you don't want to keep her here though?"

"I suppose I could make it work," responded Misty, stretching and tying her long red hair into a ponytail. "The decision is hers. If she doesn't want to stay at Professor Oaks then I'll keep her with me."

Tracey nodded and the two watched the Pokémon interact some more before Misty got up to contact the Pokémon League. While he sat there, he wondered some more about where exactly Professor Oak was sending them.

And in the depths of Johto, something stirred.

**Thoughts are very much welcome. I'd like to know what you like, don't like, etc.**

**To be continued…**

**~DQ**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I knew something was missing… I don't own Pokémon… Love the games; love the show, but love can't buy the franchise.**

**Chapter 2**

Somewhere on the outskirts of Cerulean City, a young man and his film crew were trying to discern the exact location of the Cerulean Gym from a very strange map sold to them by a weird man. The rather dashing young man pulled at the ruffles on the front of his shirt and rotated the map 90 degrees again.

"Charlotte?" he muttered despondently, "I think we've been conned."

Charlotte the producer rolled her eyes at one of the other crew members. "It seems so. Why don't we just ask someone for directions?"

Green hair flashed past her as the boy shot her a grin and ran towards a young trainer making his way along the road. The trainer's eyes widened as he was suddenly surrounded by people with cameras and microphones. "Hello there," begun the teen idol. "Would you mind giving us directions to the Cerulean Gym?"

The poor youngster began to sweat nervously as the older boy smiled radiantly at him while his camera crew began to motion for an answer and abruptly said, "I…I like shorts! They're comfy and easy to wear!"

The sounds of wild Pokémon deep in the forest could be heard over the awkward silence that surrounded the foreign crew. One of the cameramen sighed.

"I knew we should have gone with Yancy."

Back at the Cerulean Gym, Misty was sitting at the water's edge after a busy morning of training with a few of her Pokémon. 'Ah there's nothing like relaxing in the pool. Having no more gym battles for a while will be a good break" she thought as she watched Politoed swim by her feet.

"Cerulean Gym Leader? I challenge you!"

"Spoke too soon," she sighed as she stood to greet her challenger.

"I accept your challenge. My name is Misty Waterflower. What's your name?"

"I'm Andrew from Solaceon Town in the Sinnoh Region. I'm aiming for the Indigo Plateau." Misty scrutinised the trainer who looked no older than twelve.

"That's quite far away," she remarked. "I hope you've come prepared. Earning this badge isn't easy."

Andrew grinned with confidence. "I sure am! That badge is mine!"

Tracey, who had walked in shortly after Andrew, stood between them. "I'll officiate over this match." Misty nodded and hopped onto her platform on the water as Andrew stumbled onto his before quickly recovering. She smirked at his overconfidence and shook her head.

"Alright! This battle for the Cascade Badge will be a 3-on-3 match with only the challenger allowed to switch Pokémon! " Tracey declared. "The winner will be determined when all three of either side's Pokémon are unable to battle!"

Andrew grinned and pulled out a Pokeball while Misty folded her arms. "Begin!"

"Ok Torterra I choose you!" Misty watched as the large turtle Pokémon materialised on one of the larger platforms. "Torterra!" it said proudly.

"Ah a Grass-type, you've done some research," said Misty, appraising the large Pokémon. "Let's see how well you've applied it, go Politoed!" she called and watched as Politoed sprang out of the water and onto a platform of his own.

"Go Torterra, Razor-leaf!" commanded Andrew. Torterra grunted as a flurry of leaves hurled towards Politoed.

"Dodge," was Misty's simple command. Politoed effortlessly dove back into the water.

"Keep an eye out for it Torterra and use Razor-leaf again!"

"Use Headbutt now Politoed!"

Politoed jumped up to the right of the surprised Torterra and surged forward dealing a powerful blow to Torterra's side. "Terra!" it cried.

"Oh no! Come on Torterra! Use Leaf Storm!"

"Counter with Water Gun!"

The two attacks met halfway and managed to cancel each other out. "Now jump and use Water Gun again!"

Politoed leaped high above Torterra and released another powerful torrent of water as Andrew watched his Pokémon received a powerful shower. "You weren't wrong to bring a Pokémon with Grass moves Andrew," said Misty. "But Torterra is basically a sitting Psyduck for any attacks because it can't dodge or even manoeuvre itself on that platform. Finish it with Body Slam!"

Politoed plummeted towards Torterra with tremendous force and made a direct hit. "Torterra!" it cried before collapsing on its platform.

"Torterra is unable to battle, Politoed wins!" The frog Pokémon hopped up onto a platform and clapped happily. "Politoed!"

Misty placed her hands on her hips and patiently waited for Andrew as he recalled Torterra. "Ugh I didn't think that through. But anyway, my next Pokémon is all I need! Go Manectric!"

Manectric growled as it faced its opponent. "Ok Manectric use Quick Attack!" Andrew commanded and Manectric leaped skilfully forward across the floating platforms.

"Dodge it Politoed!"

The two Pokémon began the dodging dance across the platforms before Manectric collided with Politoed. "Politoed!" he cried at the impact. "Yes!" cheered Andrew. "Now use Bite!" Politoed wasn't able to dodge as Manectric's jaws clamped onto him.

"Politoed get out of there!" cried Misty, worriedly watching Politoed struggle. Suddenly electricity crackled around him and he was frozen in place. "Oh no!" exclaimed Misty, "Static!"

"Yeah! Finish it with Thunder Fang!" Manectric released Politoed and chomped down on him again, this time with a surge of electricity in his teeth. It was a very powerful attack and so Politoed fainted.

"Politoed is unable to battle, Manectric wins!" said Tracey.

"Return Politoed!" called Misty. "You deserve a long rest." She said as she tucked the Pokeball into her jacket pocket. She looked back at her challenger who was singing the praises of his victory.

"Oh yeah! I'm gonna win! Bring it on!"

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Don't get too cocky kid. Let's see how you deal with this! Come on out Quagsire!"

Quagsire lazily floated to the surface and jumped onto the platform. "Quagsire," he greeted.

"What's with that face? Alright Manectric, use Thunder Wave!"

Manectric barked and let of the paralysing wave of electricity that Quagsire didn't' bother to dodge. "Quag?" he tilted his head at Manectric and questioned. Andrew smacked his forehead. "Gah! I forgot! Quagsire is part Ground!"

Misty grinned, "Use Mud Shot!" Quagsire began to hurl mud at Manectric while Manectric tried to dodge without falling into the water. It began to get harder for Manectric to dodge as its speed considerably slowed.

"Now use Slam!" Misty yelled. Quagsire hurled itself at Manectric. Manectric cried out as it took the powerful hit and stumbled as it tried to regain balance. "No Manectric! Use Tackle!"

Manectric surged forward and rammed into Quagsire however, Quagsire did not look affected at all by the hit. "Muddy Water Quagsire!"

Manectric yelped as it was doused in the muddy water with great force, concealing it completely. Misty, Andrew and Tracey waited for the water to clear before revealing the fainted Manectric slumped on the platform. "Manectric is unable to battle," declared Tracey, "Challenger, please send out your final Pokémon."

Andrew sighed as he realised he had one last chance to win. "I'm counting on you, go Bibarel!"

The Beaver Pokémon landed onto the platform and Misty observed the final contender. "Hmm, alright Quagsire use Water Gun!"

"You use Water Gun too Bibarel!" retorted Andrew. The two water guns met midway and collapsed.

"Go Bibarel! Use Take Down!" cried Andrew as Bibarel charged. "Stand your ground Quagsire!" commanded Misty and as Bibarel leaped forward yelled, "Jump!"

"Oh no!" exclaimed Andrew as Quagsire leaped over Bibarel sending it crashing into the platform. "Bibarel! Are you alright girl?"

The beaver Pokémon shook herself off and nodded to her trainer. "Bibarel!"

"Ok let's try Hyper Fang!" Bibarel jumped forward and sunk her teeth into Quagsire's tail. "Quag!" he cried and began to thrash about to get her off.

"Shake her off Quagsire! You can do it!" yelled Misty encouragingly. A few shakes later and Quagsire twisted his body and successfully dislodged Bibarel from his tail.

"Good now use Slam!" called Misty. "Dodge Bibarel!" yelled Andrew but Quagsire was faster than her and collided with her, "Bii!" she cried.

"Oh no! Come on Bibarel! Try Defense Curl! " yelled the frantic trainer. Bibarel rolled herself into a ball and tried to brace herself for further attacks.

"Looks like this match is over," said Misty. "Quagsire! Finish her with a Water Gun!"

"Quag!" he cried and unleashed a powerful Water Gun attack that sent Bibarel slamming into wall behind Andrew. Bibarel unrolled herself and muttered, "Bii Bibarel…" before succumbing to her damage.

Tracey raised his arms and declared, "All three of the challengers Pokémon are unable to battle. The winner is Misty the Gym Leader and Quagsire!"

Andrew's shoulders slumped. "You did great Bibarel, return!"

Misty bent down to pet her Quagsire before returning him to his Pokeball. "You fought very well today. You've definitely gotten stronger."

She placed his Pokeball in her pocket along with Politoed's and hopped onto the pool's edge. She walked over to Andrew and placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Don't look so down Andrew," she began gently, "You and your Pokémon did well. With a bit more training and some strategy adjustments, you could win next time."

The young trainer brightened and looked up at her. "You think so?"

Misty nodded. "Definitely. But remember, there's only so far you can go with passion. Using your head when you battle is important too."

"I guess getting Kanto Gym badges isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be," murmured Andrew as he looked at the Pokeballs in his hands.

Misty laughed and ruffled his hair. "Got that right kid, we're no pushovers. Now why don't you head over to the Pokémon Centre and recover."

Andrew nodded and headed out of the Gym. "Thanks for the battle. Bye!"

Misty and Tracey waved off the before heading back inside. "That was a good battle Misty," remarked Tracey.

"Gee, you don't have to sound surprised," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Ah ha ha! I didn't mean it like that!" he nervously laughed. "I just meant it was good that you didn't totally obliterate the poor kid."

Misty laughed at her friend. "I'm not evil you know! I just know how to judge a challengers level and pick appropriate Pokémon. It would have been cruel to sic Gyarados on him."

Tracey nodded and then grinned at her. "Wow! Who knew you were so mature!" He ducked as another of Misty's sandals flew at his head.

"Hmph! Don't you have research or something to finish?" she snapped. As Tracey opened his mouth to respond, a beeping noise interrupted him. He looked around and located the source of the sound.

"Hey Misty, looks like you're getting a call," he said as he tossed a device at her. She caught her Xtransceiver and hit the answer button.

"Greetings Misty Waterflower. This is just a call to let you know of the Leagues approval of your temporary leave of absence. We will broadcast that the Cerulean Gym will be closed to challengers from this point onwards."

Misty smiled at the screen and nodded. "Thank you very much Ma'am. I hope to return to the circuit soon." The woman on screen nodded once before disappearing, ending the transmission.

Misty stretched and let out a sigh of relief. "And now I'm officially on vacation."

Tracey laughed at that. "Well for now at least. Who knows where Professor Oak is sending us!"

Misty glared at him. "Quit killing my buzz. Which route do you want to take to Pallet Town anyway?"

"What are you talking about?" Tracey frowned at her. "We'll take the main road of course! I brought the Jeep, did you forget?"

Misty smacked her forehead. "Of course! Sorry! I don't get out much you know."

Tracey laughed before heading upstairs. "Well I'll carry on packing then. See you later."

A little while later, Misty headed downstairs to go take Politoed and Quagsire to the Pokémon Centre after changing out of her swimsuit. She was almost out the door when the vid phone suddenly began to ring. Luckily, Violet had wandered in and picked up the call. "This is the Cerulean City Gym, Sensational Sister Violet speaking, how may I help you?" she answered professionally. A man around her age appeared on screen. His purple hair was tied back and he looked like he was wearing a breeders' apron.

"Um, hi," he said nervously. Violet giggled and thought how lucky she was to have answered a good looking guy's call.

"Hi cutie! What can I do for you?" she smiled charmingly.

A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and he stuttered slightly before saying, "Uh, Hi! I'm Reggie, a Pokémon Breeder from Sinnoh. I'm interested in acquiring a Shellder."

Violet giggled again. "I hope that's not all you're interested in acquiring…" she trailed off with a wink.

Misty rolled her eyes at her second eldest sister's antics and nudged her out of the way before she made the poor guy anymore flustered. "Hi, I'm Misty the Gym Leader. You're looking for a Shellder?"

Reggie composed himself and nodded. "Yes. I've got a Slowpoke and am interested in evolving him into a Slowbro, but I haven' been able to track down someone with a Shellder. An old friend suggested I give you a call."

Misty nodded with consideration. "Yeah we've got a few Shellder here. Are you a Breeder?" she asked.

"Yeah I am," replied Reggie. "Actually, since you're a Water Pokémon Gym, I was thinking of trading one of my Finneon for the Shellder."

"Ooh!" exclaimed Violet suddenly. "Finneon are so pretty! I'm sure one of them would be an awesome addition to our water shows!"

Misty looked at her sister. "You're willing to trade one of the Shellder then?"

Violet nodded. "Sure! Besides," she paused and flashed Reggie a bright smile, "I think this hunk will take good care of it."

Misty shrugged as Reggie laughed nervously. "Alright then Reggie it's a deal. I'm heading over to the Pokémon Centre now so you can connect to us there."

"Thank you very much," said Reggie gratefully.

"Call me!" yelled Violet before he disconnected.

"Violet, you go pick one of the Shellder to send. I'll meet you in the Pokémon Centre!" Misty called as she walked out the door.

Violet nodded and went to see which of the Shellder wanted to retire from water ballets. As she did, she wondered about all the new dances they could create with a Finneon as inspiration. _And he_ _really was cute_, she mused to herself. _Maybe I'll call him…_

**AN:  
Battles… too wordy? Not descriptive enough? Any comments? Yes I know this is progressing very slowly, not to worry, Ash will appear soon… Happy Holidays!**

**~DQ**


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